Metta in Pali or Maitri in the Sanskrit language means loving-kindness or compassionate love. It is the wish for all sentient beings to be well and happy. Metta is a great healing force. It promotes the development of virtues, such as compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity. It also promotes patience, tolerance, gratitude and above all, a forgiving heart. Forgiveness is an important factor which helps in releasing certain emotional blockages due to grudges, remorse or guilt conscience.

Bhante Mahinda

The Psychology of Metta

The Pali commentaries explain:

One loves all beings:
(a) by the non-harassment of all beings and thus avoids harassment;

(b) by being inoffensive (to all beings) and thus avoids offensiveness;

(c) by not torturing (all beings) and thus avoids torturing;

(d) by the non-destruction (of all life) and thus avoids destructiveness;

(e) by being non-vexing (to all beings) and thus avoids vexing;

(f) by projecting the thought, "May all beings be friendly and not hostile";

(g) by projecting the thought," May all beings be happy and not unhappy";

(h) by projecting the thought, "May all beings enjoy well-being and not be distressed."

In these eight ways one loves all beings; therefore, it is called universal love.

And since one conceives (within) this quality (of love), it is of the mind.

And since this mind is free from all thoughts of ill-will, the aggregate of love,

mind and freedom is defined as universal love leading to freedom of mind.

Extracted from : Metta
The Philosophy and Practice of Universal Love
by Acharya Buddharakkhita